Originally called the Dallas Texans, the club was founded in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League. The team moved to Kansas City and became the Chiefs in 1963 after then-Kansas City mayor H. Roe Bartle guaranteed to the team that they would have increased ticket sales. The Chiefs then joined the NFL as part of the AFL-NFL Merger.

On the heels of this success, the Texans moved to Kansas City in 1963. Most impressive about this move was the support the team received from the community even before the team announced the move. Hunt made the move dependent upon the ability of Kansas City Mayor H. Roe Bartle and the Kansas City community to guarantee him 35,000 in season ticket sales. Hunt had arrived at this number because that was the Texans' average attendance at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Bartle called to his office 20 business leaders and called upon them to form an association later known as "The Gold Coats", whose sole objective was to sell and take down payments on the 35,000 season tickets required. Not an easy task when one considers the move was still secret and the Gold Coats had to sell season tickets to people without knowing the team name, where it was coming from, who the owner was, what league it would play in, who the players or coaches were, when the team would play its first game in Kansas City, what its team colors would be or where it would play. Hunt gave Bartle a 4 month deadline. Bartle and the Gold Coats made good in only 8 weeks. Later, Hunt admitted he was really only hoping for 20,000, for which he still would have moved the franchise.

The name, "Chiefs" was selected by a fan contest, and is derived from Mayor Bartle, who 35 years prior, founded the Native American-based honor society known as The Tribe of Mic-O-Say within the Boy Scouts of America organization, which earned him the nickname, "The Chief." It is said that Hunt actually considered keeping the team name as it was, and playing as the "Kansas City Texans."[1]

The Texans/Chiefs franchise was the flagship team of the American Football League, with the most playoff appearances as an AFL team, six (tied with Oakland), the most American Football League Championships (3), and the most Super Bowl appearances, playing in the first Super Bowl, and in the last to be played between League champions. The Texans won the classic 1962 double-overtime AFL championship game against the Houston Oilers, 20-17, at the time the longest, and still one of the best professional football championship games ever played. The Chiefs dropped the first Super Bowl to the Packers, then pulverized the Vikings 23-7 in the final "true" AFL-NFL World Championsip game after the AFL's last season in 1969. They had just one coach throughout their AFL history, Hall-of-Famer Hank Stram.

Arrowhead Stadium is half of the Truman Sports Complex, along with Kauffman Stadium (formerly Royals Stadium). Kansas City was viewed as taking an unnecessary risk at the time by building two stadiums instead of the popular multi-use stadiums being built in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and St. Louis. However, with demolition in 2005 of St. Louis' Busch Stadium, the Truman Sports Complex has now out-lived all of the multi-use stadiums built in the same era. While many applaud the Kansas City decision makers for this decision, the move was not quite by design. When it became readily apparent the old Municipal Stadium was not adequate for the Chiefs, the decision was made to build a multi-use stadium for the Chiefs and Charlie Finley's Kansas City A's. Finley proved to be too difficult to work with, demanding a "baseball stadium that could also be used for football" or a baseball only stadium, instead of the other way around.

After much vitriole behind the scenes, Finley decided to move the team to Oakland. However, the discussion made Bartle and his advisors convinced that one stadium would be good but not great. Thus, the decision was made to build two separate stadiums after Finley left town. Coincidentally, Finley moved to Oakland's Alameda County Coliseum, a multi-use stadium in which the A's have played since moving there in 1967.

In 1971, the Chiefs made it back to the Playoffs as they won the AFC West Title, but on December 25 of that year, they lost a double overtime heartbreaker to the Miami Dolphins 27-24. The Chiefs would not return to the playoffs for 15 straight years, compiling only four winning seasons in this stretch.

In 1989, Carl Peterson became the team's new President and General Manager. Peterson hired Marty Schottenheimer as the team's coach. Schottenheimer led the team to six straight playoff appearances, three AFC West championships, nine winning seasons, and 76 consecutive soldout games at Arrowhead. Since 1992, no NFL team has a better regular season home winning percentage than Kansas City (27-5 (.844) record). [This statistic is incorrect. NFL teams play 8 home games per year, so depending on which year this post was made, the chiefs would have played more than 80 home games since 1992.] However, the Chiefs have only won three playoff games since Peterson became general manager, the last in 1993.

In 1993, Joe Montana was traded to Kansas City from the San Francisco 49ers. Along with Marcus Allen from the Los Angeles Raiders, the Chiefs gained both a powerful passer and rusher, advancing to the AFC Championship Game. Montana retired after the 1994 season and was replaced by Steve Bono with Rich Gannon as backup. In 1995, the Chiefs went 13-3 and were the odds-on favorite to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. However, on a cold night full of dropped passes and missed field goals, they lost 10-7 against the Indianapolis Colts in the playoffs.

After going from 13-3 in 1997 and losing the playoff game to the Denver Broncos (10-14), the Chiefs fell to 7-9 in 1998. Marty Schottenheimer took much of the blame for his failed attempts at clock control (also nicknamed Martyball by his critics). He was also in the midst of a quarterback controversy.

In 1997, he started with Elvis Grbac as quarterback. After a loss to Denver, Grbac was injured and Rich Gannon took over. After going 13-2 during the season, Gannon was replaced by Grbac in the playoff game against Denver. The choice to play Grbac over Gannon made many fans angry with Schottenheimer. The following losing season with Grbac at quarterback did not help.

Schottenheimer left as head coach, replaced by his defensive coach Gunther Cunningham. In two years, Cunningham showed little improvement, going 9-7 and 7-9. After the loss of Derrick Thomas, the collapse of the defense was unmistakable. The Chiefs' wins were mostly made by a high scoring offense rather than a powerful defense.

After coaching the St. Louis Rams to the Super Bowl and retiring, Dick Vermeil took over as head coach in 2001 with the statement that it takes three years to get a team ready for the Super Bowl. Elvis Grbac left the team to join the Baltimore Ravens, and Vermeil replaced him with his primary pick for the Rams' quartback, Trent Green. Another notable replacement was Priest Holmes at running back. Three years later, the Chiefs went 13-3 in 2003 and set many records along the way. However, the season sputtered by November and the Chiefs lost to the Indianapolis Colts in the playoffs. As with the loss to the Broncos in the 1997 season, this loss led to a poor following season.

In 2004 Gunther Cunningham was brought back as the defensive coach. However, the defense showed little improvement. The offense, unable to record the same high scores as the previous year, was unable to bring in the wins as they had the previous year.

For the 2005 campaign, the Chiefs brought several new players to boost a defense that has finished among the worst units the past three years. Starting with first draft pick, LB Derrick Johnson from the University of Texas, free agent LB Kendrell Bell, free agent S Sammy Knight, and also trading for CB Patrick Surtain from the Miami Dolphins for a 2nd-round Draft pick, the Chiefs had high hopes for the '05 season.

The Chiefs got off to a good 2-0 start, winning their Week 1 home-opener against the New York Jets (27-7) and then went on the road to beat their old time division-rival Oakland Raiders (23-17). However, they then lost at INVESCO Field at Mile High 30-10 to another division rival, the Denver Broncos. Then in Week 4, the Chiefs hosted the Philadelphia Eagles. K.C. got off to a fast start and led 24-13 at halftime. Unfortunately, the Eagles hung tough and their QB Donovan McNabb managed to lead his team back into the fray, despite having a sports hernia. In the end, the Chiefs lost 37-31. They then used their Bye Week in Week 5 to regroup and get back to what they do best. They managed to win a very good fight at home with the Washington Redskins 28-21.

The Chiefs had little time to celebrate, because they were called and told that because Hurricane Wilma was going to strike Miami on Sunday, they would have to face the Dolphins two days earlier. Despite the sudden change of the schedule, the Chiefs manged to pull through and win against the Miami Dolphins 30-20. However, despite having over a week to rest up, they couldn't hold down the San Diego Chargers on the road and lost 28-20. The Chiefs would rebound at home and win a well-fought rematch with their old time rivals, the Oakland Raiders, with a final of 27-23. Unfortunately, despite outgaining them in yards from scrimmage by a large margin, they would lose a well-fought game on the road against the Buffalo Bills 14-3. The Chiefs would then get a three-game winning streak going. First, they would beat the hapless Houston Texans on Sunday Night (45-17) and then they would win back-to-back home games against the two-time defending champion New England Patriots (26-16) and then a rematch win their division rival, Denver Broncos (31-27). In the following weeks, the Chiefs dug themselves a huge hole with back-to-back interconference road losses to the Dallas Cowboys (31-28) and the New York Giants (27-17). Their realistic playoff possibilities were shot after falling to 8-6. Fortunately, the Chiefs were able to keep their very slim playoff hopes alive after a 20-7 home victory over the San Diego Chargers in week 16. In Week 17, even though the Chiefs got a blowout win at home against the Cincinnati Bengals 37-3, the Steelers won against the Lions 35-21, ending their chances of getting into the playoffs. It also made them the fourth team in NFL history to go 10-6 and not get into the playoffs. Head coach Dick Vermeil retired once the Chiefs' 2005 campaign ended.

September 15, 1980: Former Chiefs offensive tackle Jim Tyrer suffered business difficulties following his football career, and suffered from depression, until he shot and killed his wife, and then himself. He was 41.

June 29, 1983: After just two seasons with the Chiefs, including winning the 1981 NFL Rookie of the Year award, running back Joe Delaney drowned in Monroe, Louisiana, attempting to rescue two boys from a rain-swollen pit shortly after rescuing one other. He was 24. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal and the NCAA Award of Valor. 37Forever.org was formed to teach KC area kids how to swim in honor of the valor that Joe Delaney demonstrated. Delaney was inducted into the Chiefs Hall of fame posthumously in 2005.

January 23, 2000: Derrick Thomas, one of the finest linebackers of his era, suffered spinal injuries in a car accident in Kansas City. These injuries are mainly due to him not wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident. He spent his last week knowing he would never walk again. While still hospitalized, Thomas died from a pulmonary embolism, a complication resulting from his surgery. February 8. He was 33.

When the team debuted in 1960 as the Dallas Texans, the logo consisted of the state of Texas in white with a yellow star marking the location of Dallas. Since moving to Kansas City in 1963, the logo has been a white arrowhead bearing the initials "K.C."

The uniform design has essentially remained the same throughout the club's entire history. It consists of a red helmet, and either red or white jerseys with the opposite color numbers and names trimmed in yellow. White pants were used with both jerseys until 1969, when red pants were used with the white jerseys. The white jersey–red pants combination was not used between 1989 and 1999, primarily during the period when Marty Schottenheimer was the team's head coach. The first regular-season game of the Herman Edwards regime also featured the team wearing white on white for a home game. It's believed to be the first time the Chiefs had worn white for a home game since the early 1980's, when Marv Levy coached the team. However, when the Chiefs played the Broncos at Denver, they wore red pants.

The Chiefs Radio Network has extended its broadcast rights to Chiefs game through the 2009 season. <ref name="101 THE FOX"/> The current relationship between 101 the Fox and the Kansas City Chiefs represents the longest standing relationship in the NFL with an FM station. <ref name="101 THE FOX"/>

The Chiefs Radio Network extends throughout the six-state region of Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, with over 60 affiliate stations., <ref name="101 THE FOX"/> as well as an online stream of the broadcast on the internet.

At the end of the National Anthem fans are known to yell "and the home of the CHIEFS!" where traditionally "the brave" is supposed to be said. Only after the September 11, 2001 attacks did Chiefs fans refrain from doing so in honor of those who lost their lives. In fact, the September 232001 home game versus the New York Giants, the first Kansas City regular season contest since the September 11, 2001 attacks, was one of the few times in Chiefs history where Kansas City fans welcomed an opposing team onto the field without booing. <ref>Giants beat Chiefs 13-3 in defensive struggleAssociated Press, 24 September 2001.</ref>

For numerous years up through the 2005 season, after every Chiefs touchdown, the crowd would chant "We're gonna beat the hell outta you...you...you, you, you, you," over Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll (Part 2)." The chant has been said to have originated from Wichita State University's fans at their now defunct football program's games.

Beginning with the 2006 season, the Chiefs organization has opted to honor the NFL's request that this song no longer be played at games following Glitter's conviction in Vietnam of child molestation.

The team mascot is the K.C. Wolf which is a man dressed in a wolf costume. He replaced a man in a wolf costume who rode a motorcyle. The mascot during the team's glory years at Municipal Stadium and until 1989 was the horse Warpaint. Warpaint was ridden around the field at the beginning of the game and did a victory dance on the field after each touchdown. The Chiefs are are said to be considering bringing Warpaint back <ref name="Part 3"/> in the near future.

October 21, 2005: The Chiefs became the only NFL team to travel and play an away game on the same day. The approach of Hurricane Wilma prompted the Commissioner on October 20 to move up the game vs. the Miami Dolphins from Sunday to Friday, requiring a waiver of the rule requiring both teams to be in the game city at least 24 hours before kickoff. The Chiefs went on to win the game by a score of 30-20.

December 24, 2005: Chiefs extend their December home win streak to 18 games—the longest in the NFL since 1970—and giving them a 20-1 December home record since 1995. Their last loss at home in December was versus the Indianapolis Colts on December 15, 1996.

1990: Derrick Thomas established an NFL single-game record with 7.0 sacks in an inspiring Veterans Day performance vs. Seattle (11/11). The game was won by the Seahawks 17-16, after a last-second 25-yard TD pass to WR Paul Skansi by future Chiefs QB Dave Krieg. Kreig barely slipped out of Thomas' arms for what would have been the record breaking eighth sack.

1995: Chiefs make team record sixth consecutive playoff berth.

1996: Chiefs have first 4-0 start.

2001: Priest Holmes sets the team single-season rushing record with 1,555 yards.

2002: Team sets franchise record for most offensive yards with 6,000.

2002: Priest Holmes sets the team single-season rushing record with 1,615 yards.

November 9, 2003: the Chiefs beat the Cleveland Browns (41-20), winning their ninth straight game which sets a new franchise record for consecutive victories.

January 1, 2006: After only his ninth game start in the season, Larry Johnson surpasses Priest Holmes's single-season rushing record with 1,750 yards and scores a career-high three touchdowns in one game. This is also his ninth straight 100-yard game (including two 200-yard performances) to tie him for third-longest streak in NFL history with Walter Payton, Fred Taylor and Deuce McAllister.

Jan Stenerud (1991; 1967-1979) Placekicker. Only pure kicker in the Hall of Fame. 19-year career. 186 consecutive games played. Career 409 PATs and 436 field goals attempted. 44 field goals in a season. 7 field goal attempts in a game. six postseason All-Star games (four NFL Pro Bowl). 48-yard field goal, the longest in Super Bowl history, against the Vikings in Super Bowl IV.

Hank Stram (2003; 1960-1974) Dallas Texans and Kansas City Chiefs coach won three AFL titles and Super Bowl IV. Victories 87. Post-season appearances 6. Post-season record 5-1. Head coach of the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs for the entire ten-year history of the AFL.